Displacement
by DySolo
Summary: L/R DB Series. Number 12b Spencer mopes after Lila's departure, Elle tries to help. No Spoilers, I think.


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Title: Displacement  
Pairing: Reidand Elle  
Author's Notes: So this is part 13 of the Lila/Reid arc of the DB series. It follows... Follow Through and is before "Fun" in the timeline. It's Elle's perspective and  
**Rating: T  
****Summary: Reid mopes after Lila leaves, Elle tries to help.**

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Elle knocks on the bathroom door an hour after he mentioned how he was going to shower. He doesn't respond and she steps closer to door, listening for any sounds. There aren't any, so she checks the door. It's unlocked. She frowns before pushing the door open, slowly, knowing it creaks. Everything in his damn apartment is old. If it were her, she would have already moved, but she understands why he doesn't. He's sentimental. He keeps his father's clothes and watch, his mother's books. He can't throw anything out that has some meaning to him, as if he's holding onto a childhood he never really got to experience. She peaks in and smiles to herself. He lays in his antique tub, knees bent because it's too small for his frame, eyes closed. He looks uncomfortable, but calm. She sits on the toilet next to him, taking him in. He more toned than he was when she was in the unit. His calves are more defined, from the years of walking to the Metro station. He's gained some weight, but not much. His biceps are slightly larger too and she almost laughs at the image of him doing push-ups in his living room. She wasn't quite sure if Spencer had ever done a push-up in his life. Eh, she takes that back. He had to do some at the academy. That does make her chuckle, the picture of him struggling as the men around him rise and fall in a steady rhythm. The noise causes him to open his eyes, but she knows that he knew she was here all along, her perfume would have given her away. She crosses her legs and smirks at him.

"Enjoying yourself?"

His comfort trance is broken at her voice and he curls into himself, his hands moving over himself, trying to hide from her eyes. She laughs.

"It's not like I haven't seen it all before, chico." She teases, still he's shy. He always has been, probably always will. She grabs him a towel and turns her head as he stands, wraps it around himself. Over covered, she turns back to him.

"You okay?" Her voice is softer and he turns back towards her, embarrassment stalled. He smiles and nods.

"I'm…." He shrugs before walking out of the bathroom towards his room. Elle sits there a little longer, watching him walk away.

She's been in the city for almost a week, apartment searching and interviewing for a job that Reid had gotten her. She's been sleeping on his couch while he mopes around. She's glad that on Monday he'll be back at work, but in all honestly, she's worried about him. She stands and makes her way to his couch.

"Want to go to a meeting?" She calls out. She'll got to a meeting for him. He's been to a few AA meetings for her. He's been trying to get her to go to his group, saying it's for alcoholic and narcotic offenders, alike, but it just doesn't feel right. That's his group, she's found her own. Plus, his is for LEOs and FBI agents, she's neither now.

He comes out dressed, brown cords and black polo. It's still strange to see him without a tie. It shouldn't be, she was just joking with him about seeing him naked, but…it is. He sits next to her and shrugs again. His silence is starting to drive her crazy. Reid isn't the quiet type. He's the type that tells you too much information and doesn't stop until you physically make him. She looks at him. He's got the same look that he's had all week; the look that a dog gets after being kicked, sad and confused, trying to please so he doesn't get kicked again. It's about the girl, the celebrity chick, she knows. She knows all the details, but she can't answer his questions. Well, she can. It's easy, he just needs to call the woman and apologize for hiding shit, but he doesn't even understand why it matters he didn't tell her, so she can't help him there. It's not her job to baby him. Kick his ass when he gets off the healing path? Sure, but kiss his boo-boos and tell him how to make it all better? She isn't that type of girl and they aren't that kind of friends. That's more Garcia's expertise. She sits next to him, though, silent as he pouts to himself. It's times like this she could use a drink.

"Shit, Spence. You're depressing me. Let's get out of here."

"I don't want to."

"Well too damn bad." She gets up and grabs his hand. "I'm sick of watching you mope around. You're making me want to drink."

He looks up at her with a frown and she tugs at his hand.

"We're going out."

He stands up. "Where are we going?"

She grins. "I have just the place."

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Deal Breaker || Displacement

Spencer looks at her, holding a bat uncomfortably in his hands. He looks at the woman.

"I… I can't do this."

She rolls her eyes. "Sure you can. Didn't you ever play baseball as a child?"

He's sure he hasn't, but the bat doesn't feel as foreign in his hands as he expected. "Maybe." He murmured.

"Great! Then it's just… Just keep your eye on the ball and the bat in your hand and you'll be fine. It's good tension relief." Well, if she's being honest, it's not as fun as going to the gun range and shooting, but she no longer owns a gun and She assumes Spencer wouldn't enjoy that anyways. She smirks to herself, he probably won't enjoy this either, but she needed to hit something as much as he needed to get out of the house.

She puts in a few quarters and steps out of the cage. The first ball flies by and Spencer jumps and she swear she hears a muffled scream come from him. She laughs.

"It's not going to hurt you!"

"Says you! You're behind a fence!" He squeaks.

She laughs as he moves out of the way of another ball. After the balls stop, she moves inside of the cage.

"You're hitting a ball before we leave." She says, looking at him, "So don't even think about quitting."

Spencer frowns. "I don't like the idea of balls flying at me."

She laughs and stands behind him. "Too bad. Now hold the bat up."

She helps him get the idea of swinging the bat properly before she moves to put money in the machine and steps out of the cage. He pouts, but stands in place this time. He doesn't swing at the first, but attempts at the second, failing miserably, but he continues to try.

When he finally hits one, three dollars later, he turns back to her with the largest grin on his face that she's ever seen. He turns back and makes contact with the next three balls.

"That was amazing!" He says, as they're walking back to his car. "We have to do that again."

She wants to laugh at his boyish excitement, but just wraps her arm around his, glad he's feeling better.


End file.
